Maria Oliva Bonaldo

On May 22, 1913, during the Eucharistic procession of Corpus Domini in Castelfranco Veneto, Maria Oliva received a mystical grace of strength and light, intimately understanding the mystery of the Mystical Body of Christ and the Church. This illumination prompted her to break off her engagement to consecrate herself to God.

By obedience to her spiritual director, she entered the Canossian Sisters of Treviso on October 5, 1920, pronouncing her first vows in 1923 and her perpetual profession in 1928. She obtained a doctorate in letters and philosophy at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan in 1930.

Afflicted with tuberculosis, she drafted the statutes of her future foundation in 1934. With the support of Cardinal Adeodato Giovanni Piazza, she officially founded the congregation of the Daughters of the Church (Figlie della Chiesa) on June 24, 1938, in Rome. On August 2, 1946, released from her Canossian vows by Pope Pius XII, she pronounced her perpetual vows in the new work, which received the definitive approval of the Holy See on June 8, 1957.

Mother Maria Oliva of the Mystical Body led her congregation as superior general for more than thirty years. In the 1950s, she conceived of "mobile churches" (buses converted into chapels) to provide spiritual and material assistance in the disadvantaged suburbs of Rome. In 1957, she also founded a center for perpetual Eucharistic adoration at the church of San Marco al Campidoglio. During the Second Vatican Council, she welcomed the conciliar reforms with enthusiasm, inviting her daughters to deepen their understanding of the magisterium. Exhausted by a life of prayer and devotion, she passed away holily on July 10, 1976, at the generalate house in Rome, located on Viale del Vaticano. Her mortal remains were transferred there in 1978.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Maria Oliva Bonaldo opened after her death, and the diocesan inquiry conducted in Rome concluded in 1992. On December 9, 2013, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her theological and cardinal virtues, thereby declaring her Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, a miracle must be officially recognized by the Holy See. To date, no miracle has yet been the subject of an official decree of approval.

The spirituality of Maria Oliva Bonaldo is entirely centered on the mystery of the Mystical Body of Christ and on the love of the Church. Her charism is summarized in the desire to "know, love, and serve the Church, and to make her known and loved."

The legacy of the Venerable is perpetuated through the congregation of the Daughters of the Church, which combines contemplative life (Eucharistic adoration for the unity of Christians) and active apostolate (pastoral collaboration, catechesis, evangelization). Today, the congregation is present in many countries around the world, notably in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, India, and the Philippines.